About to Rain
by naboru narluin
Summary: Cliffjumper learns that even the tiniest things can be different, but others are not. - Shattered Glass / Cliffjumper, SG!Sideswipe / gen


**Title:** About to Rain  
**Continuity:** Shattered Glass  
**Warnings:** gen, weather (lol)  
**Characters:** Cliffjumper, SG!Sideswipe  
**Prompt:** parallel universe, snowball  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Cliffjumper learns that even the tiniest things can be different, but others are not.  
**Disclaimer:** I own none of the appearing characters. I don't earn money with this story.  
**Beta:** kaz26, ultharkitty

**Note:** Written for the **120_minuten**'s Advent calendar on livejournal.  
I wrote it in kind of a rush - of course, it was for 120 minutes. *lol* Anyway, I have no idea about the canon background of rain in Shattered Glass, so, if I messed things up: I'm really sorry.  
About the title… yeah, I'm really creative, today. *drop*

* * *

**About to Rain**

It was calm - the weather, the atmosphere, the mechs around him, nearly everything beside himself.

It was the calm before the storm, or the calm after the storm; perhaps it was the calm at the eye of a storm. He didn't know, but it could be all of those in one, and he felt like he wasn't part of it. Not that he was ever a part of this upside down world.

It was too quiet, which meant the Autobots - it still felt weird and wrong to think it - surely were up to something. They always were up to something, and he had somehow gotten used to fighting against mechs whose names were once the names of his friends.

And if he was truly honest, he enjoyed shooting at Sunstreaker. It was a good feeling to give that sociopathic aft what he deserved, and fortunately without any consequences, if an even-more-enraged vicious lunatic didn't count.

"What you're doing here? Gotten homesick?"

Cliffjumper turned around with a grumpy snarl and saw Sideswipe enter the deck.

"Dead End wanted to know where you are. He is a little disappointed you missed his last attempt to get the troops to lighten up." The taller mech came to a halt next to him.

"So what? I didn't do it on purpose…" Cliffjumper grumbled, still staring at the vast dead plain. At least the planet itself wasn't much different than his homeworld.

"You don't say. I'd never think that," Sideswipe stated with a broad grin. He slapped his friend playfully on the shoulder.

Frowning, Cliffjumper didn't bother to repeat himself by saying how weird it was to be cheered up by the odd, happy Stunticon. It wouldn't be the first time, and Sideswipe clearly knew what he was thinking, so he just stayed silent.

"The weather is changing. Not long, and it'll rain."

He'd noticed it, too. "Oh great, not that Autobots aren't enough, now we have to hide and can't even fight them." His mood was so low, he actually thought about finding Dead End.

Clueless, Sideswipe glanced at the smaller 'bot. "What do you mean by 'hiding'?"

"The rain? Or is it even that different?" He didn't know if he should be glad or annoyed.

"Different than what? I mean, it's just hydrogen oxide… What does your rain consist of? Sadly, it doesn't rain often. I kinda like it."

"_Water_? What a relief. Where I come from the rain hurts like slag!" he mumbled, using the English word without thinking. Sideswipe looked confused, and Cliffjumper remembered that there was no Cybertronian word for water.

"On earth there exists so much hydrogen oxide that the inhabitants had given it a common name," Cliffjumper tried to explain. The other Autobot stared at him in awe.

"That sounds amazing. I bet the Constructicons would love it. Hydrogen oxide is rare and they always try to gather it."

"Yeah, when he came to Earth, Perceptor was totally freaked out too."

The taller mech flinched at the scientist's name, but didn't say anything.

"I prefer _snow_ to rain. If it doesn't melt, everyone has a _snowball_ fight. That's always fun, especially since Mirage - the slagger - can't hide, because you see his footsteps." A rough laugh escaped his vocalizer, as he remembered the spy's face turned visible after being hit by a ginormous snowball made by Blaster and Jazz.

Optics wide, Sideswipe amused shook his head. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Doesn't matter anyway. Never thought I'd end up talking about the weather. You know, humans do that all the time and unfortunately Bluestreak adopted the habit so if he doesn't know what to say, he talks about the weather!"

"Bluestreak talks?"

For a moment both stared at each other, startled, and suddenly began laughing.

"I'd like to meet your Bluestreak sometimes, ours is a pain in the aft who never shuts up." He sounded quite annoyed, but also sad, and Sideswipe guessed the other mech missed his home more than he would admit.

"Nah, you wouldn't like him, he's boring. And an Autobot, you know. But back to the weather thing. I'm curious. What's not melting?"

Raising an optic ridge about the abrupt change of topic, Cliffjumper guessed there was something more about this Bluestreak than just being a boring Autobot, but he didn't bother to ask.

"I meant _snow_. It's like… frozen rain."

"And you use it in a fight?" Wariness rang in Sideswipe's voice.

"Well, you press it together and form a ball that you can throw."

"Doesn't sound like an effective weapon to me."

"It's not a weapon. You do it for fun."

Sideswipe smirked. "For fun? Dead End would love it. Hey, what about telling the Constructicons? Maybe they can build something that freezes the rain and we can do that… fight."

The green Autobot didn't give Cliffjumper the time to answer. He grabbed his arm and pulled the puzzled mech with him, accompanied with a surprised "urgh".

"What's that frozen rain called again?"

"_Snow_ or _Schnee, neve, neige, снег, snø, snjór, __雪_, pick one you want."

"Wow, what the slag? How many languages does this little planet have?"

"Enough."

"Certainly." The enthusiasm in Sideswipe's voice made the other 'bot frown. "Tell me about it."

Cliffjumper grumbled, irritated, but he began to talk again when they were back in the base.

Outside, the first raindrops fell.


End file.
